Electronic device

ABSTRACT

A slide cover has a engaged portion formed thereon. A rotatable member includes a stopper portion which is abutted against the engaged portion so as to restrict a relative movement of the engaged portion of the slide cover when the slide cover is arranged at a closed position. The stopper portion is positioned away from a rotation center of the rotatable member, and the rotatable member rotates to allow the relative movement of the engaged portion when the stopper portion is pushed by the engaged portion. This makes it possible to increase an angle between an stopper surface formed on the stopper portion and a movement direction (right-left direction) of the engaged portion. As a result, the cover is stably held at the closed position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority from Japanese applicationsJP2012-092499 and JP2012-092500 filed on Apr. 13, 2012, the content ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electronic device having an openablecover.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conveniently, electronic devices have been used which reproduce datastored in a portable storage medium such as an optical disc, or executea program stored in the portable storage medium (for example, U.S. Pat.No. 7,687,711). The electronic device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.7,687,711 is provided with a slot for inserting the storage mediumthereinto. Also, the electronic device disclosed in the abovepublication assumes both of use in a vertical posture and use in ahorizontal posture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The electronic device with the slot needs a loading mechanism thattransports the storage medium, which has been inserted into the slot, tothe inside of the electronic device. This mechanism includes relativelyexpensive parts such as a motor, and thus causes an increase in thecosts of the electronic device. From this viewpoint, if a readingstation in which the storage medium is arranged is covered with anopenable cover which a user can open, components such as the motor arenot required.

In the electronic device assuming both of use in the vertical postureand use in the horizontal posture, a direction of the gravity forceexerted on the cover is different between the vertical posture and thehorizontal direction of the electronic device. For that reason, evenwhen the cover is gently opened in one posture of the electronic device,the gentle opening in the other posture is difficult to realize.

An electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention includes: a main body; a cover covering a part of the mainbody, and movable between an open position and a closed position withrespect to the main body; an engaged portion provided to one of the mainbody and the cover, wherein the engaged portion moves relatively to theother one of the main body and the cover when the cover moves; arotatable member provided to the other one of the main body and thecover; a first elastic member applying an elastic force against rotationof the rotatable member to the rotatable member. The rotatable memberincludes a stopper portion abutted against the engaged portion so as torestrict a relative movement of the engaged portion when the cover isplaced at the closed position. The stopper portion is formed at aposition away from a rotation center of the rotatable member, whereinthe rotatable member rotates to allow the relative movement of theengaged portion when the stopper portion is pushed by the engagedportion. According to the electronic device of this embodiment, thecover is stably held at the closed position, and the user can open thecover as occasion demands.

An electronic device according to another preferred embodiment of thepresent invention includes: a cover movable between an open position anda closed position; a movable portion which moves due to the movement ofthe cover; and a damper member that is supported so as to move between afirst position and a second position when the posture of the electronicdevice changes. The first position is where the damper member is engagedwith the movable portion to function as a resistance against themovement of the movable portion. The second position is where theengagement between the damper member and the movable portion isreleased. According to the electronic device, the gentle opening of thecover can be realized without depending on the change in the posture ofthe electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an electronic device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a planview thereof, and FIG. 1B is a front view thereof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a front portion of the electronic device inwhich a front cover is removed, and an operation member is shown;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a rear side of an upper housingprovided in the electronic device;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views taken along a line IV-IVillustrated in FIG. 3, in which FIG. 4B is an enlarged diagram of aportion indicated by IVB in FIG. 4A;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a positional relationship ofthe operation member, a slide cover, and a rotatable member;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are diagrams illustrating the movement of therotatable member, in which FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the movement ofthe rotatable member when the slide cover is manually opened, and FIG.6C illustrates the movement of the rotatable member when the slide coveris manually closed;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams illustrating the movement of therotatable member, in which FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate the movement ofthe rotatable member when the slide cover is opened by the operation ofthe operation member, and FIG. 7C illustrates the movement of therotatable member when the slide cover is manually closed;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the front portion of the electronic device inwhich the front cover is removed, and a drive mechanism for the slidecover is shown;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the drive mechanism viewed from a lower side ofthe upper housing;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the drive mechanism, which shows the damperlocated at a position when the electronic device is vertically arrangedis shown;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the drive mechanism, which shows the damperlocated at a position when the electronic device is horizontallyarranged;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the drive mechanism, which shows anappearance of the slide cover moved in a state where the electronicdevice is vertically arranged;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the drive mechanism, which shows anappearance of the slide cover moved in a state where the electronicdevice is horizontally arranged;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating a modified example of thedamper;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the slide coverwhich includes a guide mechanism;

FIGS. 16A, 16B and 16C are diagrams illustrating the operation of theguide mechanism, which shows the damper and the guide mechanismimmediately before the slide cover reaches the open position; and

FIGS. 17A, 17B and 17C are diagrams illustrating the operation of theguide mechanism, which shows the damper and the guide mechanism in astate where the slide cover is arranged at the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B arediagrams illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 1A is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 1B is afront view thereof. In the following description, X1 and X2 illustratedin FIG. 1 denote a left direction and a right direction, respectively,Y1 and Y2 denote a front direction and a rear direction, respectively,and Z1 and Z2 denote an upper direction and a lower direction,respectively.

An electronic device 1 includes a main body 2. The main body 2 includesa lower housing 3 and an upper housing 20. Those housings 3 and 20 arecombined together in a vertical direction to configure a housing thatreceives a circuit board. The electronic device 1 in this examplereproduces moving image data stored in an optical disc M, and executes aprogram stored in the optical disc M. A disc arrangement region (a readposition of the optical disc M) in which the optical disc M is placed isdefined on an upper side of the upper housing 20. For example, the upperhousing 20 has a recess having a shape corresponding to the optical discM, and the recess is employed as the disc arrangement region. Theelectronic device 1 includes a slide cover 11. In this example, theslide cover 11 is formed like a plate. The slide cover 11 is slidablebetween a closed position (position of the slide cover 11 indicated by asolid line in FIG. 1A) at which the slide cover 11 covers the discarrangement region of the upper housing 20, and an open position(position of the slide cover 11 indicated by a two-dot chain line inFIG. 1A) at which the slide cover 11 exposes the disc arrangementregion. In this example, the disc arrangement region is formed on aright portion of the upper housing 20, and the slide cover 11 covers theright portion of the upper housing 20. The electronic device 1 includesa front cover 4 in a front portion thereof. The front cover 4 covers anoperation member 5 for allowing a user to open the slide cover 11, and adrive mechanism G (FIG. 8) of the slide cover 11 which will be describedlater.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front portion of the electronic device 1.In the figure, the front cover 4 is removed, and thus the operationmember 5 is shown. Further, the drive mechanism G of the slide cover 11is omitted. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a lower side of the upperhousing 20. FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views taken along a lineIV-IV illustrated in FIG. 3, in which FIG. 4B is an enlarged diagram ofa portion indicated by IVB in FIG. 4A. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagramsillustrating a positional relationship of the operation member 5, theslide cover 11, and a rotatable member 31. FIGS. 6A to 6C and 7A to 7Care diagrams illustrating the movement of the rotatable member 31. Aswill be described later, the slide cover 11 can be opened by both ofmanual operation by the user and the operation of the operation member5. Further, the slide cover 11 can be closed by the manual operation ofthe user. The manual operation means an operation that a user pushes theslide cover 11 per se to open and close the slide cover 11. FIGS. 6A and6B illustrate the movement of the rotatable member 31 when the usermanually opens the slide cover 11, and FIG. 6C illustrates the movementof the rotatable member 31 when the user manually closes the slide cover11. FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate the movement of the rotatable member 31when the user opens the slide cover 11 by the operation of the operationmember 5, and FIG. 7C illustrates the movement of the rotatable member31 when the user manually closes the slide cover 11.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electronic device 1 includes an operationmember 5. The operation member 5 is employed as an open button for theuser to open the slide cover 11. The operation member 5 includes anoperated portion 5 a projected forward on an end thereof. The operatedportion 5 a is located on a front surface of the electronic device 1(refer to FIG. 1). As will be described later, the user can open theslide cover 11 by pushing the operated portion 5 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the operation member 5 in this example issubstantially L-shaped in a plan view. That is, the operation member 5includes a front extension portion 5 b which is formed in a frontportion thereof, and elongated in a right-left direction. Further, theoperation member 5 includes a rear extension portion 5 c which isextended to the rear from the end of the front extension portion 5 b.The operated portion 5 a is formed on the end opposite to the rearextension portion 5 c. With the shape of the operation member 5, whilethe operated portion 5 a is positioned substantially in the center ofthe electronic device 1 in the right-left direction, the operationmember 5 can move a rotatable member 31 to be described later,positioned offset from the center of the electronic device 1 in theright-left direction.

The operation member 5 is so guided as to move in the front-reardirection. In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a holder 6 isattached to the upper housing 20. The holder 6 includes a pair of guidewalls 6 a between which the front extension portion 5 b is arranged. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the rear extension portion 5 c extends to thelower surface of the upper housing 20. The lower surface (back surface)of the upper housing 20 has a pair of guide walls 22 formed thereoninside of which the rear end of the rear extension portion 5 c isarranged. The guide walls 6 a and 22 t guide the operation member 5 tomove in the front-rear direction. When a user presses the operatedportion 5 a, the operation member 5 is moved rearward. The upper housing20 includes, in the rear of the rear extension portion 5 c, a stopper 24for restricting a movable range of the operation member 5.

In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper housing 20includes, in the front portion thereof, a front panel portion 20 bpositioned lower than the rear portion of the upper housing 20 in whichthe disc arrangement region is formed. The front panel portion 20 b hasa recess 20 a concaved rearward in a plan view of the electronic device1, in the center of the front panel portion 20 b in the right-leftdirection. The upper housing 20 includes a front wall portion 21extending downward from an edge of the recess 20 a and defining theinner space of the recess 20 a. The holder 6 is attached to the frontwall portion 21. The rear extension portion 5 c extends to the lowerside of the upper housing 20 through a hole 21 a formed in the frontwall portion 21 (refer to FIG. 4B).

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rotatable member 31 is provided to theupper housing 20. The rotatable member 31 is arranged along the lowersurface of the upper housing 20, and rotatable around an axis along adirection (vertical direction) perpendicular to the movement direction(right-left direction) of the slide cover 11. As illustrated in FIG. 5A,the slide cover 11 is provided with an engaged portion 12. In thisexample, the engaged portion 12 protrudes downward from the front edgeof the slide cover 11. As described above, the slide cover 11 islaterally slidable between the open position and the closed position.For that reason, the engaged portion 12 moves relatively laterally withrespect to the upper housing 20 and the rotatable member 31 when theslide cover 11 moves. The rotatable member 31 includes a stopper portion32 which is abutted against the engaged portion 12 so as to restrict themovement of the engaged portion 12 in a state where the slide cover 11is arranged at the closed position. In a state where the stopper portion32 is abutted against the engaged portion 12, the movement of the slidecover 11 from the closed position toward the open position isrestricted.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the stopper portion 32 is formed at a positionaway from the rotation center C1 of the rotatable member 31. Therotatable member 31 includes a plurality of stopper portions 32 whichare formed at regular intervals in the peripheral direction around therotation center C1. In this example, the rotatable member 31 issubstantially formed into a polygonal shape. The plurality of stopperportions 32 are formed at the respective corners of the shape. Therotatable member 31 in this example is square, and thus includes four ofthe stopper portions 32. The rotatable member 31 rotates when anystopper portion 32 are pushed by the engaged portion 12, and then allowsthe movement of the engaged portion 12, that is, the slide of the slidecover 11.

The engaged portion 12 moves along a straight line L1 along a slidedirection (right-left direction) of the slide cover 11 when the slidecover 11 slides (refer to FIG. 5A). As will be described later, therotatable member 31 is movable in a direction perpendicular to both ofthe movement direction of the engaged portion 12 and the axis passingthrough the rotation center C1 of the rotatable member 31. In thisexample, the rotatable member 31 is movable in the front-rear direction.As illustrated in FIG. 4A, a spring 7 is arranged on the lower side ofthe upper housing 20. The rotation of the rotatable member 31 issuppressed by the spring 7. In more detail, the spring 7 employs atension spring, and urges the rotatable member 31 forward. The operationmember 5 includes a stopper pushing surface (abutment surface) 5 d. Thestopper pushing surface is positioned in front of the rotatable member31, and faces the rotatable member 31. The stopper pushing surface 5 dis a flat surface facing rearward and extending in the right-leftdirection. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rotatable member 31 includes aflat surface (hereinafter referred to as “pushed surface”) 31 a which ispushed toward the stopper pushing surface 5 d by the elastic force ofthe spring 7. The pushed surface 31 a is pushed toward the stopperpushing surface 5 d to thereby suppress the rotation of the rotatablemember 31.

In this example, each of the plurality of sides (four sides in thisexample) of the rotatable member 31 functions as the pushed surface 31a. In a state where any pushed surface 31 a is abutted against thestopper pushing surface 5 d, the stopper portions 32 are positioned onthe movement course of the engaged portion 12 along the straight lineL1. The stopper portions 32 are formed at both ends of the pushedsurface 31 a. For that reason, two positions (positions indicated by P1and P2 in FIG. 5A) at which the stopper portions 32 are arranged aredefined on the movement course of the engaged portion 12. When thepushed surface 31 a is pushed toward the stopper pushing surface 5 d,two of the stopper portions 32 are arranged at the two respectivepositions P1 and P2.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, when the pushed surface 31 a is pushed towardthe stopper pushing surface 5 d, a distance from the rotation center C1to the ends (stopper portions 32 in this example) of the pushed surface31 a is larger than a distance from the rotation center C1 to thestopper pushing surface 5 d. For that reason, when the user is tomanually move the slide cover 11 from the closed position toward theopen position, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, the rotatable member 31rotates to move rearward against the elastic force of the spring 7. Thatis, the engaged portion 12 allows the rotatable member 31 to rotateagainst the elastic force of the spring 7. When the rotatable member 31rotates, the movement restriction of the engaged portion 12 by thestopper portions 32, that is, lock of the slide cover 11 is canceled,and thus the slide cover 11 moves to the open position (FIG. 6B).

When the rotatable member 31 rotates, the stopper portion 32 moves fromone position (position indicated by P1 in FIG. 6) where the stopperportion 32 is engaged with the engaged portion 12 to another position(position indicated by P2 in FIG. 6) on the movement course of theengaged portion 12 (hereinafter, P1 is called “first stopper position,and P2 is called “second stopper position”). Until the stopper portion32 reaches the intermediate position (position of the stopper portion 32illustrated in FIG. 6A) between the first stopper position P1 and thesecond stopper position P2, the elastic force of the spring 7 actsagainst the rotation of the rotatable member 31 because the rotatablemember 31 moves rearward. When the stopper portion 32 passes theintermediate position, the elastic force of the spring 7 prompts therotation of the rotatable member 31. In this example, the rotatablemember 31 includes the four stopper portions 32, and thus the rotatablemember 31 rotates by 90 degrees by one movement of the slide cover 11.The elastic force of the spring 7 acts against the rotation of therotatable member 31 until the rotatable member 31 rotates by 45 degrees.Then, when the rotation of the rotatable member 31 exceeds 45 degrees,the elastic force of the spring 7 prompts the rotation of the rotatablemember 31. Then, the engaged portion 12 receives the force from thestopper portion 32 to be pushed out in its movement direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the stopper portion 32 includes an stoppersurface 32 a to be abutted against the engaged portion 12 of the slidecover 11. In this example, the stopper portion 32 is a recess formed ineach corner of the rotatable member 31. An inner surface of the recessfunctions as the stopper portion 32. According to the structure of thisembodiment in which the movement of the slide cover 11 is restricted bythe rotatable rotatable member 31, the angle between the stopper surface32 a and the movement direction (right-left direction) of the engagedportion 12 can be increased. In this example, the stopper surface 32 ais formed perpendicularly to the movement direction of the engagedportion 12 of the slide cover 11. As a result, the slide cover 11 can bestably held at the closed position. As will be described in detaillater, each of the stopper portions 32 includes two stopper surfaces 32a and 32 b so that the elastic force of the spring 7 is applied to theslide cover 11 even when the slide cover 11 returns from the openposition to the closed position. The first stopper surface 32 a isabutted against the engaged portion 12 of the slide cover 11 when theslide cover 11 moves from the closed position to the open position. Thesecond stopper surface 32 b is abutted against the engaged portion 12when the slide cover 11 moves from the open position to the closedposition. The second stopper surface 32 b is also formed perpendicularlyto the movement direction of the engaged portion 12 of the slide cover11.

As described above, the rotatable member 31 is relatively movable awayfrom the movement course (along the straight line L1) of the engagedportion 12 in the direction (rearward in this example) perpendicular tothe movement direction of the engaged portion 12. That is, the rotatablemember 31 is movable in the direction apart from the movement course ofthe engaged portion 12. The upper housing 20 includes a guide whichallows the rotation of the rotatable member 31, and guides the rotatablemember 31 in the front-rear direction. In more detail, as illustrated inFIG. 4A, the rotatable member 31 includes a shaft 33 at the rotationcenter C1 thereof. The shaft 33 is protruded from the rotatable member31 toward the upper housing 20. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4A, theupper housing 20 includes a guide 23 protruded from the lower surface ofthe upper housing 20. The guide 23 surrounds the shaft 33, and iselongated in the front-rear direction. As a result, the rotatable member31 moves in the front-rear direction along the guide 23.

As described above, the operation member 5 moves rearward by theoperation of a user. In other words, the rotatable member 31 moves inthe direction apart from the movement course of the engaged portion 12by the operation of a user. When the operated portion 5 a is pushed bythe user, the operation member 5 moves the rotatable member 31 rearwardthrough the stopper pushing surface 5 d. The slide cover 11 is urgedtoward the open position by a spring 59 (FIG. 8) disposed in the drivemechanism G which will be described later. With this structure, the usercan open the slide cover 11 by not only the manual operation, but alsothe operation of the operation member 5. That is, as illustrated in FIG.7A, when the operated portion 5 a is pushed, the operation member 5moves the rotatable member 31 rearward from the movement course of theengaged portion 12. As a result, the movement restriction of the engagedportion 12 by the stopper portion 32 is canceled. Then, the slide cover11 moves toward the open position by the action of the spring 59. Asillustrated in FIG. 4B, the stopper pushing surface 5 d of the operationmember 5 and the engaged portion 12 of the slide cover 11 arepositionally vertically displaced from each other. In FIG. 4B, theengaged portion 12 is positioned lower than the stopper pushing surface5 d. For that reason, even if the operation member 5 is pushed to moverearward, the engaged portion 12 does not interfere with the operationmember 5.

As described above, the spring 7 urging the rotatable member 31 forwardis arranged on the lower side of the upper housing 20. As illustrated inFIG. 4A, the rotatable member 31 includes a shaft 34 protruded toward aside opposite to the shaft 33 in the rotation center C1. One end of thespring 7 catches on the shaft 34. The other end of the spring 7 catcheson the front wall portion 21 of the upper housing 20. In this example,the front wall portion 21 has a hole 21 b formed thereon, and the otherend of the spring 7 catches on the edge of the hole 21 b. The spring 7pulls the shaft 34 toward the front wall portion 21. As a result, therotatable member 31 is urged forward, and pushes the operation member 5toward an initial position (in this example, the initial position of theoperation member 5 is where the operated portion 5 a is not pushed bythe user). For that reason, when a user releases pushing of the operatedportion 5 a of the operation member 5, the operation member 5 returns tothe initial position. The operation member 5 has a recess 5 e formedthereon for avoiding an interference of the shaft 34 with the operationmember 5 (refer to FIG. 5A).

The plurality of stopper portions 32 formed in the rotatable member 31are arranged at regular intervals in the peripheral direction around therotation center C1 of the rotatable member 31. The rotatable member 31has a polygonal shape which is rotationally symmetrical around therotation center C1, and thus the plurality of stopper portions 32 areformed at the respective corners of the polygonal shape. The rotatablemember 31 in this example is shaped into a square, and thus the stopperportions 32 are formed in the respective four corners. Each of the foursides of the square functions as the above-mentioned pushed surface 31a. The stopper portions 32 are positioned on both ends of the pushedsurface 31 a. For that reason, the movement course of the engagedportion 12 has two positions (that is, the first stopper position P1 andthe second stopper position P2) defined thereon where the stopperportions 32 are arranged. The respective stopper portions 32 are movedto those two positions by the rotation of the rotatable member 31. Thefirst stopper position P1 indicated in FIG. 5A is where the stopperportions 32 is abutted against the engaged portion 12 when the slidecover 11 arranged at the closed position. The stopper portion 32 isarranged at the second stopper position P2 after the rotatable member 31has rotated due to the movement of the slide cover 11 from the closedposition to the open position.

The rotatable member 31 includes the plurality of stopper portions 32,and the two stopper positions P1 and P2 are defined on the movementcourse of the engaged portion 12. As a result, in both of a case wherethe slide cover 11 is manually closed after the slide cover 11 wasmanually opened, and a case where the slide cover 11 is manually closedafter the slide cover 11 was opened by pushing the operation member 5,the elastic force of the spring 7 acts against the movement of the slidecover 11 form the open position to the closed position.

A description will be given of a case in which the user manually closesthe slide cover 11 after manually opening the slide cover 11 withreference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B,the stopper portion (indicated by reference numeral 32-1 in FIGS. 6A,6B, and 6C) is arranged at the first stopper position P1 at first, andthen is pushed by the engaged portion 12 to move to the second stopperposition P2 by the counterclockwise rotation of the rotatable member 31.As the result, the slide cover 11 is moved to the open position.Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 6C, when the slide cover 11 is to bemoved from the open position to the closed position, the engaged portion12 again pushes the stopper portion 32-1, and rotates the rotatablemember 31 clockwise. In this situation, the rotatable member 31temporarily moves rearward against the elastic force of the spring 7.That is, the elastic force of the spring 7 acts as a force against themovement of the slide cover 11 to the closed position. After therotatable member 31 rotates against the elastic force of the spring 7,the stopper portion 32-1 returns to the first stopper position P1. Whenthe stopper portion 32-1 exceeds an intermediate position between thefirst stopper position P1 and the second stopper position P2, theelastic force of the spring 7 prompts the clockwise rotation of therotatable member 31.

A description will be given of a casein which the slide cover 11 isclosed by the manual operation after the user pushes the operationmember 5 to open the slide cover 11 with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B, and7C. In this case, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the movement of theslide cover 11 is allowed by the rearward movement of the rotatablemember 31. For that reason, the stopper portion (stopper portionindicated by reference numeral 32-1 in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C) arranged atthe first stopper position P1 remains at the position of the firststopper position P1 even after the slide cover 11 has moved to the openposition. As illustrated in FIG. 7C, when the slide cover 11 moves fromthe open position to the closed position, the engaged portion 12 pushesthe stopper portion (stopper portion indicated by reference numeral 32-2in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C) arranged at the second stopper position P2, androtates the rotatable member 31 clockwise. In this situation, therotatable member 31 temporarily moves rearward against the elastic forceof the spring 7. Thereafter, the stopper portion 32-2 is positioned atthe first stopper position P1. When the opening of the slide cover 11 bythe operation of the operation member 5 and the closing of the slidecover 11 by the manual operation are repeated, the rotatable member 31rotates in the same direction (clockwise direction in this example). Asa result, the stopper portions 32 arranged at the first stopper positionP1 and the second stopper position P2 are replaced with each other inorder.

The rotatable member 31 has a shape rotationally symmetrical around therotation center C1. For that reason, each of the stopper portions 32 hastwo stopper surfaces 32 a and 32 b as illustrated in FIG. 5B. When theslide cover 11 moves from the open position to the closed position, theengaged portion 12 is abutted against the second stopper surface 32 b.According to the structure of this embodiment in which the movement ofthe slide cover 11 is restricted by the rotatable rotatable member 31,the angle between the movement direction (right-left direction) of theengaged portion 12 and the stopper surface 32 b can be increased.

The drive mechanism for moving the slide cover 11 will be described.FIG. 8 is a plan view of the front portion of the electronic device 1.In FIG. 8, the front cover 4 is removed, and thus the drive mechanism Gof the slide cover 11 is shown. FIG. 9 is a diagram of the drivemechanism G viewed from the lower side of the upper housing 20. FIGS. 10to 13 are front views of the drive mechanism G.

The electronic device 1 can be vertically and horizontally located. InFIG. 1B described above, the electronic device 1 is horizontallylocated. In this example, when the electronic device 1 is arranged atthe vertical posture, the disc arrangement region covered with the slidecover 11 is positioned on the upper portion of the electronic device 1.In this example, the electronic device 1 has the disc arrangement regionon the right side portion, and therefore the left side surface ispositioned on the lower side at the vertical posture. As will bedescribed later, the drive mechanism G includes a damper 55. FIG. 10illustrates the damper 55 in a state where the electronic device 1 isvertically located, and the slide cover 11 is placed at the closedposition. FIG. 11 illustrates the damper 55 in a state where theelectronic device 1 is horizontally located, and the slide cover 11 isplaced at the closed position. FIG. 12 illustrates a state in which theelectronic device 1 is vertically located, and the slide cover 11 isplaced between the closed position and the open position. FIG. 13illustrates a state in which the electronic device 1 is horizontallylocated, and the slide cover 11 is placed between the closed positionand the open position. In FIGS. 10 and 12, X1 denotes the direction ofthe gravity force, and in FIGS. 11 and 13, Z2 denotes the direction ofthe gravity force.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the drive mechanism G includes a drive gear51. The spring 59 is attached to the drive gear 51. The spring 59 is atorsional spring which exerts an elastic force (rotating force) urgingthe slide cover 11 toward the open position. One end of the spring 59 isengaged with the drive gear 51, and the other end thereof catches on theabove-mentioned holder 6. The spring 59 urges the drive gear 51 in arotating direction (clockwise direction) thereof in a state where theslide cover 11 is placed at the closed position. A front edge of theslide cover 11 has a rack 13 formed thereon. The drive mechanism Gincludes a final gear 54 engaging with the rack 13. The final gear 54urges the slide cover 11 toward the open position, while receiving arotating force of the drive gear 51.

In this example, the drive mechanism G includes two idle gears 52 and53. The rotating force of the drive gear 51 is transmitted to the finalgear 54 through those two idle gears 52 and 53. In more detail, therotating force of the drive gear 51 is transmitted to the final gear 54as follows. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the idle gear 52 includes a firstgear 52 a and a second gear 52 b which are coaxially arranged, andintegrally rotated. In this example, the second gear 52 b is larger indiameter than the first gear 52 a. Also, the idle gear 53 includes afirst gear 53 a and a second gear 53 b which are coaxially arranged, andintegrally rotated. The second gear 53 b is larger in diameter than thefirst gear 53 a. The first gear 52 a of the idle gear 52 is engaged witha first gear 51 a of the drive gear 51, and the second gear 52 b of theidle gear 52 is engaged with the first gear 53 a of the idle gear 53.The final gear 54 includes a first gear 54 a engaged with the secondgear 53 b of the idle gear 53, and a second gear 54 b arranged coaxiallywith the first gear 54 a, and rotated integrally with the first gear 54a. The second gear 54 b is engaged with the rack 13 of the slide cover11. The second gear 54 b is larger in diameter than the first gear 54 a.The drive mechanism G is arranged in the recess 20 a formed in front ofthe upper housing 20 (refer to FIG. 8). Shafts 51 d, 52 d, 53 d, and 54d supporting the gears 51 to 54, respectively, are supported by thefront wall portion 21 formed in the upper housing 20, and the holder 6.

The number of teeth of the respective gears 51 a, 52 a, 52 b, 53 a, 53b, 54 a, and 54 b are designed so that a rotating speed of the finalgear 54 is higher than a rotating speed of the drive gear 51. That is,the number of teeth of the respective gears 51 a, 52 a, 52 b, 53 a, 53b, 54 a, and 54 b are set so that a number of rotation of the final gear54 when the slide cover 11 moves a unit distance is higher than a numberof rotation of the drive gear 51 when the slide cover 11 moves the samedistance.

The drive mechanism G further includes the damper 55. The damper 55 isformed of a rotary damper, and for example, includes a main body 55 ainto which oil is sealed, and a rotating member which rotates within themain body 55 a. The damper 55 is not limited to have the aboveconfiguration. For example, the damper 55 may include a rotating memberhaving a friction portion pushed against an inner surface of the mainbody 55 a, within the main body 55 a. The damper 55 exerts a resistanceforce corresponding to the rotating speed of the rotating member.

As described above, the final gear 54 is engaged with the rack 13 of theslide cover 11, and rotates due to the movement of the slide cover 11.The damper 55 is so supported as to move between two positions(hereinafter referred to as a first damper position and a second damperposition). The first damper position is where the damper 55 is engagedwith the final gear 54 to function as a resistance (load) against therotation of the final gear 54 as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 12. Thesecond damper position is where the engagement between the damper 55 andthe final gear 54 is released as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, the final gear 54 includes a third gear 54 c inaddition to the above-mentioned gears 54 a and 54 b. The damper 55includes a gear 55 b interlocked with the rotating member within themain body 55 a of the damper 55. The gear 55 b is engaged with the thirdgear 54 c of the final gear 54. With the above configuration, the damper55 functions as a resistance against the rotation of the final gear 54at the first damper position. In this example, both of the gear 55 b andthe rotating member rotate around a shaft 55 d.

As described above, there are cases in which the electronic device 1 isvertically located, and horizontally located. The damper 55 is sosupported as to move between the first damper position and the seconddamper position when the posture of the electronic device 1 changes.More specifically, the damper 55 is arranged at the first damperposition by its own weight (that is, by the gravity force in an X1direction) in the vertical posture state. The damper 55 is arranged atthe second damper position by its own weight (that is, by the gravityforce in a Z2 direction) in the horizontal posture state. The damper 55includes a shaft 55 e positioned away from the shaft 55 d in a radicaldirection of the shaft 55 d. The main body 55 a of the damper 55 isrotatably (swingably) supported by the shaft 55 e, and moves between thefirst damper position and the second damper position (hereinafter, theshaft 55 e is called “swing shaft”). The swing shaft 55 e is positionedon an upper side of the shaft 55 d when the electronic device 1 ishorizontally located. Further, the swing shaft 55 e is positioned higherthan the shaft 55 d when the electronic device 1 is vertically located.With the above layout of the swing shaft 55 e, when the electronicdevice 1 is horizontally located, the damper 55 is arranged at thesecond damper position illustrated in FIG. 11 by its own weight. Also,when the electronic device 1 is vertically located, the damper 55 isarranged at the first damper position illustrated in FIG. 10 by its ownweight. As a result, when the slide cover 11 is opened in the statewhere the electronic device 1 is vertically located, a moving speed ofthe slide cover 11 can be reduced, and the gentle opening of the slidecover 11 can be realized.

In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the damper 55 is engagedwith the drive gear 51 at the second damper position. In this example,the drive gear 51 includes a second gear 51 b in addition to the firstgear 51 a. The gear 55 b of the damper 55 is engaged with the secondgear 51 b at the second damper position.

The damper 55 exerts a resistance force corresponding to the rotatingspeed of the rotating member housed within the main body 55 a, that is,the rotating speed of the gear 55 b. As described above, the number ofteeth of the respective gears 51 a, 52 a, 52 b, 53 a, 53 b, 54 a, and 54b are designed so that a number of rotation of the final gear 54 whenthe slide cover 11 moves a unit distance is higher than a number ofrotation of the drive gear 51 when the slide cover 11 moves the samedistance. In other words, the rotating speed of the drive gear 51 issmaller than the rotating speed of the final gear 54. According to thisstructure, in both of the case in which the electronic device 1 isvertically located and the case in which the electronic device 1 ishorizontally located, the gentle opening of the slide cover 11 can berealized.

The final gear 54 is located at an end of a path through which therotating force exerted by the spring 59 is transmitted to the slidecover 11. The drive gear 51 is located at a beginning of the path. Thismakes it easy to increase a difference between the number of rotation ofthe final gear 54 relative to the unit moving distance of the slidecover 11 and the number of rotation of the drive gear 51 relative to theunit moving distance.

The drive gear 51 and the final gear 54 are arranged away from eachother in the right-left direction, and the gear 55 b of the damper 55 isarranged between those gears 51 and 54. The drive gear 51 is spacedupward from the final gear 54 in the state where the electronic device 1is vertically located. The drive gear 51 is positioned lower than thefinal gear 54 is, in the state where the electronic device 1 ishorizontally located. The gear 55 b is positioned between the drive gear51 and the final gear 54, and the swing shaft 55 e is positioned on theupper side of the gear 55 b in the state where the electronic device 1is horizontally located. With this layout of the gear 55 b and the swingshaft 55 e, the damper 55 rotates around the swing shaft 55 e when theposture of the electronic device 1 changes, and is selectively engagedwith the drive gear 51 and the final gear 54.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, when the final gear 54 rotates, forces F1 andF2 are exerted in directions corresponding to a direction along whichthe final gear 54 rotates, on the teeth (contact point T1 with the finalgear 54) of the gear 55 b which is engaged with the final gear 54. Inthis example, when the slide cover 11 moves from the closed positiontoward the open position, the final gear 54 rotates counterclockwise,and thus the gear 55 b is subject to the force F1. On the contrary, whenthe slide cover 11 moves from the open position toward the closedposition, the final gear 54 rotates clockwise, and thus the gear 55 b issubject to the force F2 in a direction opposite to that of the force F1.The force F2 is exerted on the damper 55 as a force in a direction inwhich the gear 55 b moves away from the final gear 54. That is, theforce F2 includes a force component F2 a in a direction perpendicular toa straight line G1 connecting the rotation center of the swing shaft 55e of the damper 55 and the contact point T1. The force component F2 arotates the damper 55 around the swing shaft 55 e in a direction (inthis example, a counterclockwise direction) in which the gear 55 b movesaway from the final gear 54. The force F1 includes a force component F1a in a direction perpendicular to the straight line G1. The forcecomponent F1 a rotates the damper 55 around the swing shaft 55 e in adirection (in this example, a clockwise direction) in which the gear 55b moves close to the final gear 54.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the slide cover 11 includes a stopper portion14. The stopper portion 14 is abutted against the damper 55 when theslide cover 11 is placed between the open position and the closedposition, and restricts the movement of the damper 55 between the firstdamper position and the second damper position. That is, the stopperportion 14 suppresses the damper 55 from moving such that the gear 55 bmoves apart from the final gear 54 when the damper 55 is arranged at thefirst damper position. In this example, the stopper portion 14 is formedalong the rack 13 on the front edge of the slide cover 11, and extendsin the right-left direction (movement direction of the slide cover 11).The damper 55 includes a stopped arm 55 f extending in a radialdirection from the swing shaft 55 e. In this example, the stopped arm 55f is extended upward, and inclined toward the final gear 54. The stoppedarm 55 f includes an engaged portion 55 g bent toward the stopperportion 14 on an end thereof (refer to FIG. 8). When the slide cover 11moves from the closed position to the open position, the stopper portion14 goes into between a position of the engaged portion 55 g when thedamper 55 is arranged at the first damper position, and a position ofthe engaged portion 55 g when the damper 55 is arranged at the seconddamper position. When the damper 55 is arranged at the first damperposition illustrated in FIG. 12, the stopper portion 14 is positioned onthe lower side of the engaged portion 55 g. That is, the engaged portion55 g is arranged on an upper surface of the stopper portion 14. When thedamper 55 receives the force F2 to rotate in a direction away from thefinal gear 54, that is, when the slide cover 11 moves from the openposition to the closed position, the engaged portion 55 g is abuttedagainst the upper surface of the stopper portion 14 in a direction D2illustrated in FIG. 12. As a result, the rotation of the damper 55 isrestricted by the stopper portion 14. On contrary, when the damper 55receives the force F1 to rotate in the direction toward the final gear54, that is, when the slide cover 11 moves from the closed position tothe open position, the force F1 causes a force (force in a direction D1illustrated in FIG. 12) to move the engaged portion 55 g away from theupper surface of the stopper portion 14. For that reason, therestriction of the rotation by the stopper portion 14 is ineffective.

The stopper portion 14 is so formed as not to be abutted against thedamper 55 when the slide cover 11 is placed at the closed position. Thatis, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, a length L3 of the stopper portion14 and a position of the stopper portion 14 are designed so that theengaged portion 55 g of the stopped arm 55 f does not interfere with thestopper portion 14 when the slide cover 11 is placed at the closedposition. With the above configuration, the damper 55 is allowed to movebetween the first damper position and the second damper position whenthe slide cover 11 is placed at the closed position. When the slidecover 11 is placed between the closed position and the open position,the rotation to move the gear 55 b away from the final gear 54, that is,the movement of the damper 55 toward the second damper position isrestricted.

Also, the length L3 and the position of the stopper portion 14 aredesigned so that the stopped arm 55 f does not interfere with thestopper portion 14 when the slide cover 11 is placed at the openposition. With the above configuration, the damper 55 is allowed to movebetween the first damper position and the second damper position whenthe slide cover 11 is placed at the open position.

As described above, the final gear 54 rotates in the clockwise directionwhen the slide cover 11 moves from the open position toward the closedposition. When the final gear 54 rotates in the clockwise direction, thedamper 55 is subject to the force F2 in the direction in which the gear55 b moves away from the final gear 54. Thus, the force F2 is generatedwhen the slide cover 11 moves from the open position to the closedposition. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the swing shaft55 e of the damper 55 is positioned toward the gear 55 b from a commontangent Lc1 at the contact point T1 between the gear 55 b and the finalgear 54. Further, the swing shaft 55 e is positioned at a side oppositeto the direction of the force F2 from a line H1 passing through therotation centers of the gear 55 b and the final gear 54. With thislayout of the swing shaft 55 e, the force F2 is generated when the slidecover 11 moves from the open position to the closed position. When theoperation member 5 is pushed, the slide cover 11 moves from the closedposition to the open position upon receiving the rotating force of thespring 59. The arrangement of the damper 55 for generating the force F2prevents the rotating force of the spring 59 from being reduced by afriction between the stopper portion 14 and the stopped arm 55 f of thedamper 55.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, when the damper 55 is arranged at the seconddamper position, the engaged portion 55 g of the stopped arm 55 f ispositioned on a lower side of the stopper portion 14. That is, arotation angle of the damper 55 between the first damper position andthe second damper position is designed so that the engaged portion 55 gof the stopped arm 55 f moves between the upper side and the lower sideof the stopper portion 14 of the slide cover 11. With this arrangement,as illustrated in FIG. 12, when the damper 55 is arranged at the firstdamper position, the engaged portion 55 g is positioned on the upperside of the stopper portion 14. As illustrated in FIG. 13, when thedamper 55 is arranged at the second damper position, the engaged portion55 g is positioned on the lower side of the stopper portion 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, when the drive gear 51 is rotated in a statewhere the damper 55 is arranged at the second damper position, forces F3and F4 in directions corresponding to the rotating directions of thedrive gear 51 are exerted on the teeth (a contact point T2 with thedrive gear 51) of the gear 55 b that is engaged with the drive gear 51.In this example, when the slide cover 11 moves from the closed positiontoward the open position, the drive gear 51 rotates clockwise, and thegear 55 b is subject to the force F3. On the contrary, when the slidecover 11 moves from the open position to the closed position, the drivegear 51 rotates counterclockwise, and the gear 55 b is subject to theforce F4 in a direction opposite to that of the force F3. The force F4is exerted on the damper 55 as a force in a direction in which the gear55 b moves away from the drive gear 51. That is, the force F4 includes aforce component F4 a in a direction perpendicular to a straight line G2connecting the rotation center of the swing shaft 55 e of the damper 55and the contact point T2. The force component F4 a rotates the damper 55around the swing shaft 55 e in a direction (in this example, theclockwise direction) which the gear 55 b moves away from the drive gear51. When the damper 55 is arranged at the second damper position, theengaged portion 55 g of the stopped arm 55 f is positioned on the lowerside of the stopper portion 14. For that reason, the force component F4a pushes the engaged portion 55 g against the stopper portion 14 in adirection D4 illustrated in FIG. 13. As a result, the clockwise rotationof the damper 55 is restricted by the lower surface of the stopperportion 14. The force F3 includes a force component F3 a in a directionperpendicular to the straight line G2. The force component F3 a rotatesthe damper 55 around the swing shaft 55 e in a direction in which thegear 55 b moves toward the drive gear 51 (in this example, thecounterclockwise direction). As a result, because the engaged portion 55g is to move in a direction D3 in FIG. 13, the restriction of therotation by the stopper portion 14 is ineffective.

As described above, when the slide cover 11 moves from the open positiontoward the closed position in the state where the damper 55 is placed atthe first damper position, the force component F2 a to move the damper55 away from the final gear 54 is exerted on the damper 55. Also, whenthe slide cover 11 moves from the open position toward the closedposition in the state where the damper 55 is placed at the second damperposition, the force component F4 a to move the damper 55 away from thedrive gear 51 is exerted on the damper 55. A direction in which theforce component F4 a acts on the damper 55, and a direction in which theforce component F2 a acts on the damper 55 are opposite to each other.Also, a position of the engaged portion 55 g of the stopped arm 55 f inthe state where the damper 55 is arranged at the second damper positionis opposite across the stopper portion 14 to a position of the engagedportion 55 g in the state where the damper 55 is arranged at the firstdamper position. With the above structure, the rotation of the damper 55by the force component F4 a is restricted by one surface (lower surfacein this example) of the stopper portion 14, and the rotation of thedamper 55 by the force component F2 a is restricted by the other surface(upper surface in this example) of the stopper portion 14. In thisexample, as described above, the force component F2 a is to rotate thedamper 55 in counterclockwise, and the rotation of the damper 55 by theforce component F2 a is restricted by the upper surface of the stopperportion 14. Also, the force component F4 a is to rotate the damper 55 inclockwise, and the rotation of the damper 55 by the force component F4 ais restricted by the lower surface of the stopper portion 14. In thisembodiment, the rotating direction of the drive gear 51 and the rotatingdirection of the final gear 54 are designed so that the force componentF4 a and the force component F2 a act to rotate the damper 55 in thedirections opposite to each other. More specifically, the two idle gears52 and 53 are arranged in the transmission path of the rotating forcefrom the drive gear 51 to the final gear 54, and thus the rotatingdirection of the drive gear 51 and the rotating direction of the finalgear 54 are opposite to each other. As a result, when the slide cover 11moves from the open position toward the closed position, the final gear54 rotates counterclockwise, the idle gear 53 rotates clockwise, and theidle gear 52 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the drive gear 51rotates clockwise.

As described above, the rotatable member 31 includes the stopper portion32 which is abutted against the engaged portion 12 so as to restrict therelative movement of the engaged portion 12 of the slide cover 11 whenthe slide cover 11 is placed at the closed position. The stopper portion32 is formed at a position away from the rotation center of therotatable member 31. The rotatable member 31 rotates to allow therelative movement of the engaged portion 12 when the stopper portion 32is pushed by the engaged portion 12. As a result, the angle between thestopper surface 32 a formed on the stopper portion 32 and the movementdirection (right-left direction) of the engaged portion 12 can beincreased. As a result, the slide cover 11 can be stably held at theclosed position. Also, the user can open the slide cover 11 as occasiondemands.

The engaged portion 12 is relatively movable with respect to therotatable member 31 in the right-left direction, and the rotatablemember 31 is relatively movable away from the movement course of theengaged portion 12 in a direction (rearward in the above example)intersecting with the movement direction of the engaged portion 12.Also, the operation member 5 is so disposed as to move the rotatablemember 31 rearward, and the spring 59 urges the slide cover 11 towardthe open position. According to this configuration, the user can openthe slide cover 11 by both of the operation of the operation member 5and the manual operation.

The stopper portion 32 of the rotatable member 31 is movable from thefirst stopper position P1 to the second stopper position P2 when therotatable member 31 rotates to allow the relative movement of theengaged portion 12. The first stopper position P1 and the second stopperposition P2 are defined on the movement course of the engaged portion12. The rotatable member 31 includes the plurality of stopper portions32 in the peripheral direction around the rotation center of therotatable member 31. Accounting to this configuration, both of theopening of the slide cover 11 by the operation of the operation member 5and the closing of the slide cover 11 by the manual operation can beenabled, and the rotatable member 31 and the spring 7 work when theslide cover 11 is manually closed.

The engaged portion 12 is relatively movable in the right-left directionwith respect to the rotatable member 31, and the stopper portion 32 ofthe rotatable member 31 is movable between the first stopper position P1and the second stopper position P2 due to the rotation of the rotatablemember 31. Both of the first stopper position P1 and the second stopperposition P2 are defined on the movement course of the engaged portion12. With the above configuration, the rotatable member 31 and the spring7 can work even when the slide cover 11 is manually closed.

The spring 7 urges the rotatable member 31 in the direction (forward inthe above example) perpendicular to both of the movement direction ofthe engaged portion 12 and the axis passing through the rotation centerof the rotatable member 31. The operation member 5 includes the stopperpushing surface 5 d (abutment surface) positioned forward from therotatable member 31. The rotatable member 31 includes a pushed surface31 a which is pushed against the stopper pushing surface 5 d when astopper portion 32 (for example, the stopper portion 32-1 illustrated inFIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C) is placed at the first stopper position P1, andthe rotatable member 31 includes another pushed surface 31 a which ispushed against the stopper pushing surface 5 d when the same stopperportion 32 is placed at the second stopper position P2. According tothis configuration, the rotatable member 31 can keep its position inboth of the state in which a certain stopper portion 32 is placed at thefirst stopper position P1 and the state in which the stopper portion 32is placed at the second stopper position P2.

The electronic device 1 includes the damper 55. The damper 55 is sosupported as to move between the first damper position (FIG. 10) and thesecond damper position (FIG. 11) when the posture of the electronicdevice changes. The damper 55 at the first damper position is engagedwith the final gear 54 to function as a resistance against the rotationof the final gear 54. The second damper position is where the engagementbetween the damper 55 and the final gear 54 is released According tothis configuration, the gentle opening of the slide cover 11 can berealized without depending on the change in the posture of theelectronic device.

The electronic device 1 includes the drive gear 51. The drive gear 51 isinterlocked with the movement of the slide cover 11, and has a smalleramount of motion than that of the final gear 54 when the slide cover 11moves a unit distance. The damper 55 is engaged with the drive gear 51at the second damper position. According to this configuration, in bothof the case in which the electronic device 1 is vertically located andthe case in which the electronic device 1 is horizontally located, theopening of the slide cover 11 becomes gentle.

The final gear 54 and the drive gear 51 which are engaged with thedamper 55 are configured to transmit the force of the spring 59 exertingthe elastic force for moving the slide cover 11 to the slide cover 11.According to this configuration, the number of parts in the electronicdevice 1 can be reduced.

The damper 55 includes the gear 55 b arranged between the final gear 54and the drive gear 51. The gear 55 b is engaged with the final gear 54when the damper 55 is placed at the first damper position, and engagedwith the drive gear 51 when the damper 55 is placed at the second damperposition. The damper 55 is supported by the swing shaft 55 e positionedaway from the gear 55 b so that the gear 55 b moves between the finalgear 54 and the drive gear 51. According to this configuration, astructure in which the movement of the damper 55 is enabled between thefirst damper position and the second damper position can be relativelysimply realized.

The damper 55 includes the gear 55 b to be engaged with the final gear54. The damper 55 is supported by the swing shaft 55 e positioned awayfrom the gear 55 b so as to move between the first damper position andthe second damper position. The slide cover 11 includes the stopperportion 14. The stopper portion 14 is abutted against the damper 55 andprevents the damper 55 from rotating in a direction in which the gear 55b moves away from the final gear 54. The stopper portion 14 is so formedas not to be abutted against the damper 55 when the slide cover 11 isplaced at the closed position. According to this configuration, themovement of the damper 55 is allowed when the slide cover 11 is placedat the closed position, and the engagement between the final gear 54 andthe damper 55 is maintained when the slide cover 11 is placed on the waybetween the closed position and the open position.

The final gear 54 rotates counterclockwise due to the movement of theslide cover 11 from the closed position toward the open position. Thedamper 55 is so arranged as to be subject to a force in the directionaway from the final gear 54 when the final gear 54 rotatescounterclockwise. This configuration can prevent the elastic force ofthe spring 59 from being reduced when the slide cover 11 is opened.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating a damper 55A which is amodified example of the damper 55. In FIGS. 14A and 14B, the same partsas those described above denote identical reference numerals or symbols.FIG. 14A illustrates a front view of the damper 55A and the drive gear51. FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view of the engaged portion 55 gprovided in the damper 55A, and the stopper portion 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 14A, the damper 55A has a weight portion 55 h ata position away from the swing shaft 55 e that swingably supports thedamper 55A. The weight portion 55 h moves the damper 55A toward thefinal gear 54 and the drive gear 51 by its own weight. That is, when thedamper 55A is placed at the first damper position, that is, when theelectronic device 1 is vertically located, a force F5 b is exerted onthe damper 55A by the weight of the weight portion 55 h. The force F5 bcan make the damper 55A become toward the final gear 54. Also, when thedamper 55A is placed at the second damper position, that is, when theelectronic device 1 is laterally located, a force F5 a is exerted on thedamper 55A by the weight of the weight portion 55 h. The force F5 amakes the damper 55A become close to the drive gear 51. The weightportion 55 h can prevent the damper 55A from moving away from the drivegear 51 or the final gear 54 when the movement of the damper 55A is notrestricted by the stopper portion 14, more specifically, when the slidecover 11 is placed at the closed position.

The weight portion 55 h is formed such that the position of the gravitycenter of the damper 55A is distanced from the swing shaft 55 e. Morespecifically, as illustrated in FIG. 14A, the distance D5 from the swingshaft 55 e to the gravity center of the weight portion 55 h is largerthan the distance D6 from the swing shaft 55 e to the shaft 55 d whichis the rotation center of the rotating member (specifically, the gear 55b) of the damper 55A. Also, in this example, the weight portion 55 h ispositioned lower than the swing shaft 55 e as with the shaft 55 d.

The damper 55A includes protrusions 55 i and 55 j positioned at bothsides of the shaft 55 d. As illustrated in FIG. 14A, the weight portion55 h is formed on an end of one protrusion 55 j. The position of thegravity center of the damper 55A is displaced toward the one protrusion55 j due to the weight portion 55 h. In this example, the weight portion55 h is projected from the end of the protrusion 55 j protruded toward aposition lower than that of the final gear 54. More specifically, theweight portion 55 h is projected from an upper portion of the end of theprotrusion 55 j. The weight portion 55 h may be made of the samematerial as that of the other parts of the damper 55A, or a materialdifferent therefrom. Also, in order to increase the weight of the weightportion 55 h, another member (for example, screw) made of metal may beattached to the weight portion 55 h.

A moment exerted on the damper 55A can be increased when the electronicdevice 1 is horizontally located, that is, when the damper 55A is placedat the second damper position as illustrated in FIG. 14A by forming theweight portion 55 h on the upper portion of the end of the protrusion 55j. As a result, to distance the damper 55A from the drive gear 51 can bemore effectively suppressed. For example, when the slide cover 11 isagain moved toward the open position immediately after the slide cover11 is moved to the closed position in the state where the electronicdevice 1 is horizontally located, the damper 55A moves away from thedrive gear 51 due to the force component F4 a illustrated in FIG. 13,and the engaged portion 55 g of the damper 55A may run on an uppersurface of the stopper portion 14. The weight portion 55 h enables thismovement of the damper 55A to be suppressed.

As illustrated in FIG. 14B, the stopper portion 14 includes a guidesurface 14 a on an upper surface of the end thereof. The guide surface14 a is so inclined as to guide the engaged portion 55 g of the damper55A to an upper surface of the stopper portion 14. More specifically,the guide surface 14 a is so inclined as to descend toward the end ofthe stopper portion 14. In particular, in this example, a height of theguide surface 14 a is designed so that the damper 55A is guided to theupper surface of the stopper portion 14 even if the damper 55A isarranged at an intermediate position between the first damper positionand the second damper position. For that reason, in the state where theelectronic device 1 is vertically located, the damper 55A is more surelyarranged at the first damper position.

Also, a guided surface 55 m is formed on a lower surface of the engagedportion 55 g of the damper 55A. The guided surface 55 m is so inclinedas to ascend toward the stopper portion 14. For that reason, in thestate where the electronic device 1 is vertically located, the damper55A easily runs on the stopper portion 14, and is more surely arrangedat the first damper position.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a slide cover 11A which is a modifiedexample of the slide cover 11. The slide cover 11A includes a guidemechanism M. FIGS. 16A to 16C, and 17A to 17C are diagrams illustratingthe operation of the guide mechanism M. Those figures illustrate theslide cover 11A and the above-mentioned damper 55A. FIGS. 16A to 16Cillustrate the damper 55A and the guide mechanism M immediately beforethe slide cover 11A reaches the open position. FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17Cillustrate the damper 55A and the guide mechanism M in the state wherethe slide cover 11A is arranged at the open position. FIGS. 16A and 17Aare front views thereof, FIGS. 16B and 17B are plan views thereof, andFIGS. 16C and 17C are cross-sectional views taken along a line c-cillustrated in FIGS. 16B and 17B. In those drawings, the same parts asthose described above are denoted by identical reference numerals orsymbols.

The guide mechanism M is configured so that the damper 55A is guidedfrom the first damper position to the second damper position against thegravity force when the damper 55A is arranged at the first damperposition (that is, the electronic device 1 is vertically located) andthe slide cover 11A is placed at the open position. More specifically,the guide mechanism M is configured to guide the engaged portion 55 g ofthe damper 55A from a first stopped position (upper surface of a stopperportion 14A in this example) to a second stopped position (lower surfaceof the stopper portion 14A in this example). The first stopped positionis a position at which the engaged portion 55 g is positioned when thedamper 55A is arranged at the first damper position. The second stoppedposition is a position at which the engaged portion 55 g is positionedwhen the damper 55A is arranged at the second damper position. With theguide mechanism M, when the slide cover 11A moves from the open positionto the closed position, the damper 55A is arranged at the second damperposition. As described above, the performance of the damper 55A islargely exerted at the first damper position as compared with the seconddamper position. For that reason, when the damper 55A is arranged at thesecond damper position, a user can close the slide cover 11A with arelatively small force.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, the slide cover 11A includes the stopperportion 14A extending in the movement direction of the slide cover 11A.The stopper portion 14A includes an elastic arm 14 b at a portionagainst which the engaged portion 55 g is abutted when the slide cover11A is placed at a position close to the open position. The elastic arm14 b configures the guide mechanism M. The elastic arm 14 b is pushed bythe engaged portion 55 g arranged at the first stopped position, andelastically deformed toward the second stopped position. In thisexample, the upper surface of the elastic arm 14 b is so inclined as toascend toward an end 14 d of the stopper portion 14A. Also, the elasticarm 14 b is elastically deformable downward. For that reason, when theengaged portion 55 g of the damper 55A is arranged on the upper surfaceof the stopper portion 14A, that is, when the damper 55A is arranged atthe first damper position, the elastic arm 14 b is pushed down towardthe second stopped position by the engaged portion 55 g. That is, theelastic arm 14 b is elastically deformed in a direction of D7illustrated in FIGS. 16A and 16C.

Also, a lower surface of the elastic arm 14 b is so inclined as to moveup toward the end 14 d of the stopper portion 14A. For that reason, whenthe slide cover 11A reaches the open position, and the engaged portion55 g exceeds the position of the end 14 d of the stopper portion 14A,the elastic arm 14 b, which has been pushed down by the engaged portion55 g up to then, is returned upward, and then the engaged portion 55 gbecomes positioned on the lower side of the elastic arm 14 b (refer toFIGS. 17A and 17C). As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 17A, the damper55A moves away from the first damper position. That is, the gear 55 b ofthe damper 55A moves away from the gear 54 c of the final gear 54. Then,when the slide cover 11A starts the movement from the open position tothe closed position, the engaged portion 55 g is positioned on the lowerside of the elastic arm 14 b. That is, the engaged portion 55 g ispositioned at the second stopped position, and the damper 55A isarranged at the second damper position.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, in this example, the guide mechanism Mfurther includes a guide 15. The guide 15 is positioned in an extensiondirection of the stopper portion 14A from the stopper portion 14A. Thatis, the guide 15 is positioned in the movement direction of the slidecover 11A from the stopper portion 14A. As illustrated in FIG. 17C, theguide 15 includes a guide surface 15 a that is abutted against theengaged portion 55 g that exceeds the end 14 d of the stopper portion14A. The guide surface 15 a is so inclined as to guide the engagedportion 55 g at the first stopped position to the second stoppedposition. That is, the guide surface 15 a is so inclined as to guide theengaged portion 55 g to the lower side of the elastic arm 14 b. In thisexample, the guide surface 15 a is so inclined as to descend from theend nearer the elastic arm 14 b toward an opposite end thereof. When theslide cover 11A reaches the open position, and the engaged portion 55 gexceeds the end 14 d of the stopper portion 14A, and then is abuttedagainst the guide surface 15 a, the engaged portion 55 g can be surelyguided to the lower side of the elastic arm 14 b by the guide surface 15a.

As illustrated in FIG. 16C, the engaged portion 55 g includes a guidedsurface 55 k on an upper surface thereof. The guided surface 55 k is soinclined as to descend toward an end nearer the guide 15. As a result,the engaged portion 55 g can be more smoothly guided by the guidesurface 15 a.

The guide mechanism M illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 17C is configured bythe elastic arm 14 b and the guide 15. However, the guide mechanism Mmay not always include both of the elastic arm 14 b and the guide 15.For example, even when the elastic arm 14 b is not provided, the guidesurface 15 a of the guide 15 can be curved to the lower side of thestopper portion 14A so as to guide the engaged portion 55 g toward thelower surface of the stopper portion 14A. Also, even when the guide 15is not provided, the amount of downward elastic deformation of theelastic arm 14 b can be increased to guide the engaged portion 55 g tothe lower side of the elastic arm 14 b.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above,but can be variously modified.

For example, the rotatable member 31 may be provided on the slide cover11, and the engaged portion 12 may be formed on the upper housing 20. Inthis case, the operation member 5 may move the engaged portion 12relative to the rotatable member 31.

Also, the dampers 55 and 55A may be engaged directly with the rack 13formed on the slide cover 11. Also, the damper 55 may be engaged withother gears, the idle gears 52 and 53 instead of the final gear 54.Also, the damper 55 may not always be engaged with the drive gear 51.

While there have been described what are at present considered to becertain embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that variousmodifications may be made thereto, and it is intended that the appendedclaims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit andscope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a cover movablebetween an open position and a closed position; a movable portion whichmoves due to the movement of the cover; and a damper member that issupported so as to move between a first position and a second positionwhen the posture of the electronic device changes, wherein the firstposition is where the damper member is engaged with the movable portionto function as a resistance against the movement of the movable portion,wherein the second position is where the engagement between the dampermember and the movable portion is released.
 2. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the damper member includes a gear engagedwith the movable portion, and the damper member is supported by a shaftpositioned away from the gear so as to move between the first positionand the second position.
 3. The electronic device according to claim 1,further comprising: a first movable portion employed as the movableportion; and a second movable portion which moves due to the movement ofthe cover, and has a smaller amount of motion than that of the firstmovable portion when the cover moves a unit distance, wherein the dampermember is engaged with the second movable portion when being placed atthe second position.
 4. The electronic device according to claim 3,further comprising: a first gear employed as the first movable portion,and a second gear employed as the second movable portion, where thesecond gear has a smaller amount of rotation than that of the first gearwhen the cover moves the unit distance.
 5. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 4, further comprising an elastic member applying anelastic force to move the cover between the closed position and he openposition, wherein at least one of the first gear and the second gear isemployed as a gear for transmitting the elastic force of the elasticmember to the cover.
 6. The electronic device according to claim 1,further comprising a stopper portion which restricts the movement of thedamper member when the cover is located on the way between the openposition and the closed position.
 7. The electronic device according toclaim 6, wherein the damper member includes a engaged portion, thestopper portion is formed on the cover, and the stopper portion goesinto between a third portion and a fourth position when the cover movesfrom the closed position to the open position, wherein the third portionis defined as a position at which the engaged portion is located whenthe damper member is arranged at the first position, and the fourthposition is defined as a position at which the engaged portion islocated when the damper member is arranged at the second position. 8.The electronic device according to claim 6, further comprising a gearemployed as the movable portion, wherein the damper member is appliedfrom the gear with a force in a direction away from the gear when thecover moves from the closed position to the open position.
 9. Theelectronic device according to claim 2, wherein the damper memberincludes a weight portion at a position away from the shaft, and theweight portion makes the damper member become close to the movableportion by its own weight.
 10. The electronic device according to claim6, further comprising a guide mechanism which guides the damper memberfrom the first position to the second position when the cover is at theopen position, not depending on the posture of the electronic device.11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronicdevice is in a vertical posture and in the first position and in ahorizontal posture in the second position.